Stormy Sea of Moving Emotion
by notjustablipintimee
Summary: When Charlie calls with some surprising news, things begin to spin out of control, sending the Winchesters on a journey to find out the truth about the exodus of the angels from heaven. As more information comes to light, the boys face some of their greatest obstacles yet, struggling to avoid the end verse scenario Lucifer claimed was inevitable. (Cowriter: theangelshaveallfallen)
1. Chapter 1

Dean awoke to the high pitched ding that was his text alert noise. He rolled over, rubbing harshly at his sleep-heavy eyes as he felt around in the pitched black for his phone. When he finally got a grip on it, he ripped the phone from the charger and flipped it open.

Dean, I have something you might want back. Meet me at Conner's Diner at noon. - Charlie

Dean groaned as he checked the clock. 3:30. If they were gonna make it to St. Louis by noon, they would have to leave now. He forced himself up off the memory foam mattress and began padding toward his brother's room. When he reached the slightly cracked door, he pushed it open, peeking his head through. "Sammy," he called, effectively waking his brother up. Sam sat up with a jolt, looking at Dean with wide questioning eyes. "Get your stuff. We're leaving." He left before Sam could ask any questions.

The Impala was loaded and ready to go by 4. Throughout their packing, Sam had asked Dean over and over what this was about, but he had replied with the same vague answer every time; "Charlie needs us." Sam decided to finish up his night of sleep when he realized Dean wasn't going to budge.

They made it to Conner's just before noon, noting the absence of Charlie's car. Dean figured, in the mean time, he could grab a burger, which he had once claimed were better than sex. Dean reached over and shook Sammy awake, causing a whine from the younger of the two. "Come on, sleeping beauty. That's 8 hours. You're rested." It took Sam a moment to shake off his sleepiness and then they headed inside.

Charlie showed up at 12 o'clock on the dot, her presence noted by the tinkling of the bells on the door. The brothers looked up simultaneously and motioned her over, noting how exhausted she looked. She slid into the booth next to Dean, watching him eat carnivorously. "These burgers," he began, through a mouthful, "better tha-"

"Better than sex," Charlie finished and was given two very suspicious stares. "Read the books, duh," she shot back. "Anyway, that's not why I'm here. Dean, Sam, there's something you should see. Come with me." The brothers frowned and followed her out but not before leaving a twenty on the table or Dean without the other half of his sandwich.

Charlie led them out to her small, silver Prius (Dean practically had to bite his tongue to keep from saying anything mean about the car) and opened up the back seat door. Sprawled out across the backseat was a very frail and beaten up looking Castiel. Sam's eyes widened and Dean practically choked on the current bite of his sandwich. "Cas," he blurted before Charlie could quiet him. Cas laid on the leather seats unmoving, but looking ever so peaceful. "He's not…" Dean trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Charlie shook her head though. "No, just sleeping." She closed the door softly so they could continue talking.

"I found him on the side of the road. I was heading up to my lady friend's house in Michigan when I saw this thing just lying there. I got out to see what it was and I just knew. I mean, how many guys are walking around in tan trench coats any more? I knew it was Castiel, so I loaded him into the back seat of my car and texted you right after. Also, dude is a lot heavier than he looks. You try carrying an unconscious angel to your car in the middle of the night. I got a lot of weird looks from passer-byers, so you're welcome, about twelve people think I'm a serial killer."

"Wait, wait wait," Sam said, stopping her. "How did you know he was unconscious and not…"

"He was still warm," she replied. "It was like he had just passed out there or something. It couldn't have been too long before I found him. Anyway, we were driving along and I heard this noise, like a whimpering of sorts, so I pulled over and there he was, big blue eyes staring up at me. So, I told him who I was and said that I was bringing him to you two. Now, here we are."

Dean was absolutely floored. Cas was here! Cas was alive! Cas was here and alive! Cas was- "Dean," a soft yet familiar voice echoed, ripping him from his thoughts. There stood Castiel, leaning heavily against the car. His eyes were unfocused and his knees were shaking, not at all like the poised, perfect angel he had grown to know and love. "Cas," he replied, voice breathy with surprise. "I- You- How-" He didn't know what to say. There was so much to say, but he couldn't think of a damn thing right now.

Castiel didn't utter a single word as he lifted his free arm that wasn't clinging to the car and pointed straight at Dean. Dean was slightly taken aback as he looked to Sam and Charlie for answers, but neither of them understood either. "Wha- What is it, Cas," he finally asked.

"That's a burger," Castiel murmured, eyes on the half-sandwich in Dean's hand.

Dean frowned, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "Y-yes, Cas. This is a burger."

"I want it," he deadpanned and Dean couldn't help but be totally lost. Cas had just been found half-dead on the side of the road and all he could think about was food? But who was Dean to deny him that little bit of happiness if that's what he wanted. This past year was hard on all of them, so he slowly approached the angel and placed the sandwich in his hand.

Castiel didn't even acknowledge Dean as he tore into the burger, eating it just as messily and sloppily as Dean himself. The three couldn't help but watch the strange behavior and were all definitely more than a little nervous. "So uhh Cas… what happened to you?" Dean finally asked.

Cas's head was lolling around when it finally stopped and he looked up to Dean. He was definitely not himself. "Metatron," he finally said, "He took my grace. The angels fell. I'm human." He spoke so matter-of-factly, like this was something that happened every day.

Charlie was the most shocked out of all of them. "Wait, that wasn't in-" but Sam quieted her.

Dean swallowed and looked into Cas's eyes in an effort to make them focus, rather than rolling around in his head. "So… how are you feeling? Are you okay," he asked slowly, trying to find any sort of hints in Cas's facial expression.

Cas was silent for another minute before he spoke. "I have to use the bathroom… rather badly." He pushed away from the car as if forgetting that he could barely stand before his knees gave out and he fell to the ground. "Cas," Dean yelled, failing to catch him. He knelt down beside the angel-turned-human, waiting for some kind of reaction.

Then, in a very Cas-like manner, Dean heard it, clear as day. "Son of a bitch," he uttered, pushing himself up off the ground, and Dean couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips.

Dean had decided to ride back home with Charlie and Cas, reluctantly allowing Sam to drive his baby alone. And it certainly didn't take long for him to realize that he'd made the wrong decision.

To start off Dean's lovely ride through hell, Cas fainted on his way back out to the car. He had only taken a few steps after leaving the diner before he dropped to the ground, eyes rolling back in his head and body going limp like a rag doll. Dean ran over, cursing under his breath as he leaned over to lift the fallen angel, learning quickly that Charlie was right about the bastard being heavy.

"Again? Really?" Charlie cried, peeking her head out of the driver's side window, "We better get him back to your place quick and figure out what the hell's wrong with him."

"I know, I know, just give me a minute. You said it yourself- this son of a bitch is heavier than he looks," Dean called back, slowly trudging his way over to the waiting car.

"I told you," she chuckled, shaking her head and grinning, "but I think you've got it under control. Carrying a dreamy angel like that bridal style seems to be the way to go." And then she had the nerve to fucking wink at him.

"Yeah, whatever," he growled, throwing open the door to the backseat and trying to ignore Charlie's laughter. He carefully laid Cas down on the backseat, placing him carefully so that his head rested against the armrest of the door while his legs could comfortably stay stretched out.

Before shutting the door, he took the time to really take in the fallen angel's appearance. His typical trench coat seemed rattier than usual, the soles of his shoes showed more scuff marks and small tears were visible near the bottom of each pant leg. Dark circles under each of his eyes stood out against his pale skin and a small cut ran across the bridge of his nose. However, there was one detail that Dean thankfully found to be the same: his navy blue tie was still backwards. Dean smiled weakly at the sight, knowing full well that there were a lot of details the fallen angel was leaving out of his story, but letting that one little thing settle him for the time being

Dean slammed the door shut, coming around and throwing himself down into the passenger seat. He tried to put on his best poker face, keeping his gaze focused forward and lips set into a thin line. He couldn't let Charlie know how worried he really was or he'd never hear the end of it. Chick flick moments were really beginning to dominate his life despite his constantly vocal stance against them.

Charlie was staring at him, eyebrows raised and lips twisted into a concerned frown. When Dean refused to acknowledge her leering gaze, she sighed and turned back to look at the road. She shook her head, hands gripping the steering wheel much too tightly as she began to drive.

After several seconds of awkward, oppressive silence, she finally spoke up. "So… Castiel certainly is as hot as I imagined he'd-"

"Just shut up," Dean snarled, sending a quick glare in her direction and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Jesus Christ, Dean, calm down," Charlie retorted angrily, "All I'm saying is that he's pretty easy on the eyes. Well, for a dude."

Dean rolled his eyes and turned to look out the window instead. The pavement streaked by, yellow lines and trees blurring before his eyes. Small houses sat comfortably in the middle of acres of lush grass, some with classic brick red barns nearby and cattle milling aimlessly about in carefully fenced-off pastures. The sky seemed impossibly blue, only a few, wispy clouds hanging here and there. It was all so peaceful, so easy, so alluring.

"Whatever," he muttered, face still turned away from the redhead at the wheel. He could sense that there was something Charlie was trying to get him to say. He had no clue what it was, but he sure as hell didn't want to think too hard about it.

Silence filled the little car, seeming to press in from every direction and crush Dean. He longed for the strangely comforting atmosphere the bunker provided, the feeling of being at home. The quicker they could get there, the better.

"You know," Charlie sighed, "he said something to me as I was sticking him in the car."

Dean turned quickly, his curiosity getting the better of him. "And what's that?"

Charlie chuckled softly, glancing over at Dean's inquisitive stare. "Well, at the time, I thought it was a little weird, but it's starting to make more sense now."

Well, that piqued his interest.

"I was leaning over to check on him, make sure he was breathing and everything, and he whispered something. Really softly, like I almost didn't catch it."

Dean shifted nervously in his seat, eyes focused intently on the redhead. Somehow, he knew what it was before it even passed her lips.

"He said your name," she muttered, eyes full of concern as she looked over at Dean again. When he failed to respond, staring down at the gear shift as if it were the most interesting thing in the world, she charged on without even pausing to take a breath.

"Yeah, I thought it was pretty weird. So, of course, I didn't know how to take it or anything. I mean, I knew immediately that he must be Castiel with the trench coat, but the second he said your name, I was sure-"

"Stop," Dean whispered, still averting his gaze as he spoke, "just stop, okay? Don't make a big deal out of this. He probably just figured it must be Sam or I since we usually are the ones to find his ass after he magically comes back to life."

Charlie pursed her lips, failing to nod her head or agree in any way. It wasn't the response she was looking for and he knew it.

Suddenly, a small whimper came from the backseat. Dean quickly turned in his chair, protective nature taking over and eclipsing all of his other current concerns.

Cas's nose was scrunched up and eyes squeezed tightly shut. His lips parted slightly as he let out another little mewl of discomfort, body shifting so that he could lay on his side. "Dean," he whimpered softly, pulling his legs in closer to his chest.

Dean watched in horror, hoping that maybe he had just heard him wrong. His mind had been known to play tricks on him after all.

"Dean," the fallen angel sighed, his face relaxing and lips turning up into a small smile. He rolled over on to his other side, nuzzling against the leather of the seat cushions and letting out another content sigh.

Dean swallowed anxiously, turning back around. He purposely refused to make eye contact with Charlie as he turned, trying to ignore the smug smile on her face.


	2. Chapter 2

When Dean and Charlie finally reach the bunker after a long car ride filled with awkward silences and strained small talk, the hunter practically throws himself out of the car. The redhead liked to twist things way out of proportion.

Every time Cas muttered a soft "Dean" from the backseat, she'd glance at him out of the corner of her eye with a mischievous smirk on her face. She would clear her throat and make some vague, completely off topic comment about her latest celebrity crush or her favorite porn star or something that would lead the conversation in a sexual direction. Every time, he would just roll his eyes and tell her to "fucking stop already", and she, of course, would just act offended and innocent as if she had done nothing wrong. Yeah, she could be a little shit when she wanted to be.

He threw open the door to the backseat, carefully lifting Cas's limp figure and cradling it in his arms. The poor guy had been out cold the entire time, the small whimpers and the rising and falling of his chest serving as the only indicators that he was even still alive. Dean wouldn't admit it, but he was worried about the fallen angel.

"Come on, Romeo, let's get him inside," Charlie called, already striding her way over to the bunker's front door as if she owned the place. Dean cursed under his breath, wanting to punch her in the face as he labored under the weight of the unconscious man in his arms.

To his relief, Sam was sitting at the large table in the bunker's main room, his laptop already open in front of him. When he and Charlie entered the room, the younger Winchester glanced up and immediately stood.

"Thank God," he sighed, running his fingers through the long strands of his shaggy hair, "we really need to talk about…"

He gestured weakly at the fallen angel, a concerned frown on his face. Dean sighed, looking back down at Cas's slack face. His lips were slightly parted, the sound of his ragged breathing sending nervous shivers down the hunter's spine. As long as he's breathing, there's hope, Dean's mind chanted like a sacred mantra.

"I know," he muttered, glancing back up at Sam and Charlie's identical worried expressions, "let me just lay him down and then we can talk, okay?"

Sam nodded his head, quietly sitting back down and motioning for Charlie to do the same. The redhead stared at Dean for several more seconds, her gaze filled with anxiety and pity. She had only just met Cas so it made sense for her to be more concerned about his well-being than the fallen angel's. When she finally looked away, her body slumping into the seat next to the younger Winchester, Dean began to climb the stairs with the unconscious man in tow.

Cas was lucky that he was his friend. He wouldn't carry just anyone's ass up the stairs like this.

He carefully laid him down on his memory foam mattress, making sure that his head rested on the soft mound of pillows at the head of the bed. As Dean lowered him, he couldn't help but notice the way the fallen angel's eyebrows furrowed and his nose twitched. The poor guy was obviously sore after everything that happened to him.

After making sure that Cas seemed comfortable, he turned to leave, closing the door softly behind him. Although he felt the urge to stay and wait for him to wake up, he had a pretty good feeling that he wouldn't be waking up any time soon, and even if he did, he sure as hell wouldn't feel like immediately talking about what had happened.

He quickly descended the stairs, anxious to see what information Sam had already found. It was obvious that Cas had had a hand in the angels falling, but he still didn't know the details. He wanted to know the whole story before he jumped to any conclusions about what Cas had done.

As he entered the room, he was surprised to find his younger brother and Charlie staring intently at the laptop as if it held all of the secrets to the universe. He wasn't sure why he expected anything different. Alone, Sam could find just about any information he needed. But with Charlie? He wouldn't be surprised if they had already sorted out Cas's situation in the short time it had taken him to take the fallen angel upstairs.

"So," he drawled, purposely drawing out the "o"'s in an attempt to get their attention, "you guys find anything yet?"

Charlie continued to peer at the laptop screen, acknowledging Dean's entrance with only a small wave. Sam, on the other hand, was always eager to share.

"So get this," he began, using his usual intro to a long and, most likely, boring explanation, "apparently there'a also a set of trials for expelling all of the angels from heaven."

Dean sighed, taking a seat and preparing himself for the worst. He was pretty sure he knew what Sam was going to tell him, and it made him sick. The thought of Cas being the cause of such a drastic and awful event was enough to make him nauseous.

"Of course, that jerk, Metatron, failed to mention the whole 'kicking all of the angels out of heaven' part to our dreamy angel upstairs," Charlie interrupted, gesturing in the direction of the staircase.

"Exactly," Sam agreed, lips turning up into a pleased grin, "the poor guy had no idea all of this was going to happen. You know Cas, always trying to do the right thing."

The older Winchester cringed, remembering what Cas had said to him not long ago, before everything went to hell. I thought I was doing the right thing, he had insisted, begging for his forgiveness. And Dean had been an asshole, replying with a pained, you always do. He had been hurt at the time by the angel's betrayal, but now he wished so badly that he could go back and take back his childish retort.

"Yeah, I guess," he sighed, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his temples, "so what were the trials? Anything like what we had to go through?"

"Well," Charlie replied, anxiously reaching up to scratch the back of her neck, "the first two really aren't that bad. It's the last one that's the killer."

"She's right," Sam interjected, "that last one's definitely the worst."

Dean waited patiently for the two to finish, curious as to what this "killer" trial was. Instead, Charlie averted her gaze and bit her lip while Sam tapped his fingers on the wooden surface of the table.

"Okay, so what the hell are they?" he asked, frustration seeping into his voice as he watched the way the two seemed to dance around the subject as if they thought it was something he couldn't handle.

The redhead looked over at Sam, her eyes silently begging him to explain. The younger Winchester let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. Leave it to Sammy to cave.

"Well, the first trial is to kill the child born of the love between an angel and a human. Simple enough, I guess. The second is to take the bow of the angel known for creating love. So basically taking a Cupid's bow. And the third trial…"

Sam hesitated, glancing over at Charlie. She gave a slight nod of her head, sending him a reassuring smile.

"The third trial is to… take away the grace of an angel who has… who has grown to love...humanity," Sam finished, hesitating before the final word.

Charlie suddenly shot Sam a quick glare out of the corner of her eye, seeming to not like his answer for some reason. The younger Winchester averted his gaze, clearing his throat and putting on a weak smile.

"We basically knew all of that already, shit," Dean sighed, "well, I'm gonna go check on Cas. Tell me if you find anything that's actually helpful." He stood quickly, shoving his chair in. The information wasn't anything that earth-shattering or new, which was incredibly frustrating. He been expecting something useful at least, something to maybe help figure out why Cas was still unconscious.

To his relief, neither Sam or Charlie tried to stop him. They continued to sit quietly, refusing to look at each other. He didn't know what the hell was with them but, he didn't have time for it. He needed to make sure the fallen angel hadn't completely checked out while they were talking.

He quickly slipped out of the room, his concern growing with every step he took. As long as he's breathing, there's hope.

Charlie watched Dean leave before turning back to Sam. "Why didn't you just tell him? I mean, he's bound to find out eventually."

Sam shot her an accusing glare. "You wanna be the one to tell Dean that an angel loves him? And not just any angel, but Cas. Cas."

"I don't get why that's such a bad thing. I don't mean to be crass, but the sexual tension in those books was almost tangible. I mean, who says to their friend that they have a 'more profound bond'? Like, do us a favor and just make it happen already, am I right?"

"You have a problem," Sam deadpanned.

Charlie smirked. "Oh, come on, Sam. It's just a bit of fun."

"No, it's not," he snapped. "It's my brother's and my life being exploited. It's not fun. It's creepy and probably illegal."

Charlie looked slightly taken aback. "Calm down, Sam. I didn't mean any harm by it."

"Besides," Sam continued with a bite to his voice. "You're not helping matters by constantly teasing him about his relationship with Cas. It's a lot more complicated than you understand and you're just pissing him off."

"But I-" Charlie started but was interrupted by a much angrier sounding Sam.

"And don't say you read the books, because Chuck didn't know what the hell he was talking about either! You need to grow up and stop living in your damn fantasy world! Our lives are not yours to fetishize!" He got up and exited the room, leaving Charlie alone and dumbstruck.

Upstairs, Dean was sitting vigil at Cas's bedside again, rubbing his hands together. There was so much to say yet he had no idea where to start. He figured the beginning was best, besides, they said talking to unconscious people helped. Did the same rule apply to fallen angels?

"Cas," he finally said, a bit more aggressively than intended. "Come on, man. Fight this. You've come out of worse before. Hell, you got crushed into soup by Lucifer and still managed to drag your ass back to me." He chuckled but it was humorless. "Cas, please, I just... I want the old Cas back. You know, the one who talked openly about porn in a room full of dudes. And ate a hundred White Castle Burgers. Or, what about the time you couldn't even hold a damn police badge right?" He took a shaky breath. When did his throat get so fucking dry? "I guess what I'm trying to say here, Cas is... Things have been pretty screwy since that Crowley business and I just can't help but wonder if things will ever get back to normal."

Suddenly, the door opened and Sam appeared, looking a little less than content. "Dean, I'm sorry but we have a problem."

Suddenly, Cas was forgotten and Dean's full attention was on his brother. "What is it Sammy?"

"It's about Charlie," he said slowly, causing Dean to frown. "Let me finish," he continued, trying to ease Dean's mind. "You know how Charlie is always talking about those books? How she already knows everything because of the books still being published? Well, if only one prophet can live at a time, how is any of this possible? How are the books still coming out?"

Dean furrowed his brow thinking of a logical solution but nothing came. "I see your point, but... Cas said he knows all the prophets like its engrained into his head. He would know if Chuck was still alive and kicking. Besides, Kevin wouldn't be here 'cause of the whole 'one prophet at a time' thing. Maybe somebody else just picked up where Chuck left off."

"Yeah, Dean," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "How many other people do you know that have the ability to predict our lives down to the smallest detail? Remember the Red Inn, the tarp on the back of the Impala, the damn flower band aids? Dean, it's Chuck. Who else could it be?"

Dean sighed with defeat. "Alright, so we've got a missing prophet to add to our list or problems. It's fine. We'll just ask Mr. Comatose over there. Huh, that name is really starting to suit him."

Sam rolled his eyes. "You think you're so clever."

"Pshh," Dean replied with a wave of his hand. "Everyone knows I'm the brains of this outfit."

"Oh," Sam mused. "Tell me this then, oh great one, what's the prognosis on our favorite celestial being?"

Dean looked back to the figure on his bed. Cas had not moved since Dean laid him there earlier. "I don't know, Sammy," Dean said, suddenly serious. "I never thought I'd say this, but Anna would be really fucking useful right about now."

"Dean, she's not the only angel that's ever fallen. We saw the entirety of heaven fall right before our eyes. I'm sure one of them would be able to help us. We just need to find one that's in better than Cas. And... unless they're dead, I don't think that's exactly possible."

Dean kept his eyes on the unconscious angel through Sammy's whole spiel. He couldn't think about anything other than needing to wake Cas up. He was going insane with worry. And Cas had put him through enough! Dean had a few words he wanted to say to the angel and he wasn't going to get out of it that easily by dying on him. Not like this. "Let's go." Dean grabbed his coat and disappeared from the room before Sam had even had a chance to turn around.

"Charlie," he bellowed as he descended the staircase. "We've gotta move." But there was no reply. "Charlie," he tried again, but there was not a sound in return. He checked the den where he had left her and Sam before, but she was nowhere to be found.

Sam appeared a moment later just behind Dean. "Can't find Charlie?"

"Nope," he said, popping the 'p' sound. "She must have just gone out," he reasoned, grabbing his jacket and pulling the car keys from his pocket. "Leave a note and let her know we went out. I'll go load baby."

With that, the brother's went on to their assigned tasks. Sam picked up a pad of post it notes and scribbled down a quick message. Out with Dean. Be back later. -Sam. Then, he stuck it to the table, grabbed his coat, and headed for the door.

It was windy outside, so Sam shoved his hands in his pockets for warmth. He did not expect, however, to find a crumpled up piece of paper in there. He frowned and pulled it out. It was a sticky note like the one he had just used. He flattened it out and looked down at the shaky scrawl upon it. Went to grow up. This is step one. Goodbye, Sam. -Charlie.

Sam reread the message over and over hoping he had missed something or misread it. No such luck came to him, though. Charlie was gone.


End file.
